TikTok Shutdown Sparks Outrage Among 170M US Users: "This Is a Crime!"
Heartbroken TikTokers across the nation are in a frenzy. The beloved social media platform has abruptly gone dark for its 170 million American users following a legal ban, leaving a trail of mourning and chaos in its wake.
One distraught user took to social media exclaiming, "ITS GONE TIKTOK IS GONE," accompanied by a gif of someone nervously smoking. The panic spread like wildfire, with even popular figures like podcaster iJustine, boasting over 1.8 million followers, expressing their distress, "It’s been 15 minutes and I’m already going through TikTok withdrawals. THIS IS A CRIME."
Well-known makeup influencer Mikayla Nogueira, with a staggering 16 million TikTok followers, shared her struggle, habitually attempting to open the app only to be met with the harsh reality of its inaccessibility. In an Instagram story, she wrote, "Mentally I am totally dissociating right now. I’m crashing out BAD LOL. This can’t be f—g real."
The online commotion erupted as TikTok vanished before 11 p.m., displaying a message stating, "Sorry TikTok isn’t available right now," rendering the site unusable, much to the dismay of its devoted users.
Republican State Delegate Sarah Fields voiced her concerns on social media, alleging, "TikTok was just removed from the App store. The US Government has unconstitutionally silenced millions of voters." The sentiment was echoed by countless others, with one user lamenting, "TikTok is gone and I’m already having withdrawals."
Before its sudden disappearance, users had already begun expressing their heartbreak, leading to the trending hashtag #SaveTikTok.
The shutdown of TikTok had been anticipated following a Supreme Court ruling upholding Congress’s law mandating the Chinese-owned parent company to divest its stake in the platform by January 19 or face a nationwide ban. The court dismissed TikTok’s appeal, citing violations of the First Amendment.
According to the law, service providers like Google and Apple are required to cease new downloads of TikTok post-ban implementation, with potential fines of $5,000 per user for non-compliance. By midnight, the app had been removed from both Google and Apple stores.
Amid bipartisan concerns raised by members of Congress and the Justice Department regarding national security threats posed by TikTok, owned by Beijing-based ByteDance, the app's future now hinges on President-elect Donald Trump. Trump, who is set to return to the White House, has pledged to "save" the app, attributing its role in his November victory.
In an interview with NBC News, Trump hinted at a possible 90-day extension to allow TikTok to negotiate a resolution. The uncertainty surrounding TikTok's fate continues to grip its massive user base, awaiting a final verdict on the app's future.
